During a recent visit to Arkansas Children’s Hospital I was happy to deliver some mail to a few patients. I saw return addresses from Conway, AR. Portage, WI. Beaver Dam, WI. St. Petersburg, FL. Stephenville, TX. It may just a be a get well card from a church lady, or one of many letters from the family member back home…doesn’t matter. The response from the child and/or guardian when they saw what was brought for them was touching.

I am reminded that a simple thing such as a little note or old-fashioned get well card is a big deal when someone is stuck in bed (whether it be hospital or home) I remember my hometown church regularly sent cards to people on “the list” and now I can see the other side of the exchange and it’s heartwarming. If snail mail is not your thing, the patients can receive emails just as well. I’ve even provided a quick link so you don’t have to search!

Today there were cards from Springfield, MO and Beebe, AR. I like to pretend I’m a post woman and always say something like “Special delivery for _____!” or “You’ve got some friends thinking about you!” etc. as I hand it to them. I took a large box to a patient in the Burn Unit. When I handed it to the nurse, she shook it and said, “It sounds like magazines. It’s probably car magazines. He loves car magazines and he’s been here a while…” We pass by magazines on the street or waiting in line for groceries every day in our busy life. Too busy. There are those itching to get out, do something, see something different, have something different to pass the time. As simple as a magazine or a deck of cards.

This day in time, taking one minute to send an email to someone in the hospital or lonely at home would be so fulfilling for you, I promise; a break from all the serious (or meaningless) emails which make up your day. And you can bank on a guaranteed smile at the other end of the line. I’ve witnessed them often with my own two eyes.

Tags: arkansas childrens hospital, cards, children, get well, hospital, lauren clark

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 7:11 pm and is filed under You Didn't Ask But.... You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.